Workers at 6 Shaw’s Stores in 3 States Get Warning That Colleague Has Coronavirus

Shaw's did not say whether a worker had tested positive and visited all six stores or if different people had tested positive

By Mike Pescaro•Published March 27, 2020•Updated on March 27, 2020 at 9:09 pm

Neal Hamberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Shaw's says it has informed employees of six locations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont that an associate has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

The supermarket chain said Friday night in a statement that it is "taking every step possible to contain the spread of coronavirus."

The Massachusetts stores where workers received the notice are in Easton and Boston's Hyde Park neighborhood, the company said. In New Hampshire, the locations in Dover, Littleton and Woodsville were named. The store in Middlebury, Vermont, was also notified.

Shaw's did not say whether a worker had tested positive and visited all six stores or if different people had tested positive.

Grocery stores have staffed up during the coronavirus outbreak, but employees are at risk of getting infected. We looked at what stores are doing to keep them safe.

The company said all stores go through multiple cycles of enhanced sanitation and disinfecting every day, but that additional thorough cleaning is conducted when it learns that an employee has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

"We affirm daily with all of our associates that they must follow the CDC's guidance for frequent hand washing, and if they aren't feeling well — for any reason — to stay home," Shaw's said in the statement.

Also on Friday, Whole Foods announced that a worker in Hingham has a presumptive case of coronavirus.